During consultation on our draft 2013/14 work programme, the Primary Production Committee asked us to consider looking at the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP). In particular, the Committee was concerned about the transparency of PGP, including how well it was being managed and was achieving its objectives.
The Auditor-General decided to do a performance audit because of the:
- potential significance of PGP to New Zealand's economic growth;
- emphasis on the Government working in partnership with industry;
- risk and opportunity inherent in innovation; and
- large amount of public and private money involved.
Purpose
We set out to assess how effectively the Ministry for Primary Industries (the Ministry) introduced and has managed PGP to achieve its intended outcomes, and we focused on how the Ministry measures and reports progress towards the outcomes.
Specifically, our audit reviewed how well the Ministry:
- supports the assessment of proposals for PGP funding and business cases to enable sound decision-making;
- builds and maintains partnerships with industry partners;
- measures progress towards PGP's objectives; and
- shares the results of the programmes with the public.